Which to use
“parser” and “patter” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,572
- “parser” frequency rank
- #38,547
- “patter” frequency rank
- 84119
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | parser | patter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A computer program that parses. | A soft repeated sound, as of rain falling, or feet walking on a hard surface. |
Where the eye mixes parser and patter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between parser and patter
A purely visual mix-up. parser (/ˈpɑː(ɹ).zə/) and patter (/ˈpæt.ə/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84119, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
parser is recorded at frequency rank #45,572, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɑː(ɹ).zə/. patter is at rank #38,547, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpæt.ə/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 84119, this pair ranks #12,617 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of parser vs patter
Shared letters: aepr. Private to "parser": s. Private to "patter": t.
"parser" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "patter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "parser" and "patter" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "parser" or "patter"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "parser" and "patter" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "parser" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "patter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #12,617 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "parser" and "patter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "parley vs parser". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #12,617 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.